Tinkerbelle Marines
Named after what is thought to be an old Earth Goddess of Peace and Joy, the Tinkerbelle Marines, or simply Tinkerbelles are the Deathless Navy’s own Special Forces. Tinkerbelles are directly subordinate to the Navy and are outside of the Special Units Department, to its commander’s great dismay. Organisation Tinkerbelles have no centralized command per se, instead, each Orbital Marines division have one Tinkerbelle platoon attached to them. Each platoon is composed of 28 troops instead of the standard 40, making for a smaller, more mobile and discreet force. Tinkerbelles are also more lightly equipped than standard marines as they are intended for Close Quarter Battles (CQB) and surgical strikes rather than conventional warfare. Squads of Tinkerbelles can operate independently as teams of 3-5 marines or as a full platoon. Tinkerbelle platoons operate conjointly with their marine division, using their lack of subtlety to their advantage in conducting their clandestine operations. Sometimes a platoon or squad of Tinkerbelles will be separated from their division to be attached to clandestine action under deniable operations that require their expertise. In those cases they are most commonly attached to Sadko-class hunter-killer stealth frigates to be used in conjunction with. Selection and Training Although they are an exclusive Naval strategic asset, the Tinkerbelles follow the Deathless SUD model of selection and training. Each Tinkerbelle is selected from volunteer components of the Deathless Navy, although most of the outfit’s element comes from the Orbital Marines the application is open to every Naval trade. In order to be accepted for the selection however, one needs an excellent medical and physical record as well as a recommendation from their Commanding Officer. Once a candidate is determined fit for selection they go through the 2 weeks Tinkerbelle Initial Evaluation, or TIE. During the two weeks the hopeful candidates go through what can only be described as an impossible hell. The candidates are submitted to extreme physical and mental stress through the most imaginative of means while evaluating the skills appropriate for the outfit’s needs. TIE’s attrition rate is evaluated at 90% before the fortnight’s end. At any point during the selection process candidates are evaluated by a team of psychologists and MESCOM telepaths that have the authority to pull someone they feel unfit for Tinkerbelle service, this can also happen once the two weeks are over. No questions are asked by the evaluators and none can be asked by the candidate being pulled off. If a prospective Tinkerbelle passes the TIE, they are then submitted to a one year long course where they learn the skills necessary to operate as a full member. During that course the instruction is done on a one-on-one basis and is drastically less stressful than the TIE while still enable the trainee to pass beyond their limits. The course outline is separated by packages given to the Tinkerbelle to self-study on the theoretical level, the mentor is on call to answer questions and to evaluate progress. Practical evaluation and training is made after each theoretical package is completed by the candidate and is done all over the Ragnhil system, whether in the Thorgian Wilderness, Koschei’s urban areas, or Mavlakis’ vacuum. Tinkerbelle training and selection is done mostly aboard a specially commisioned battleship, the DCS Titania's Hall in the Garden of The Faeries Where Madness and Beauty Live In Perfect Harmony, that is equipped with state of the art training facilities, drop pods, and everything the Tinkerbelles need to form their new recruits. After training is completed a Tinkerbelle is ready to get posted to their platoon as an assaulter, they are expert in Close Quarters Battle, Low atmosphere/Vacuum operations and are experts in any form of firefighting. Officers in Tinkerbelle platoons are submitted to an extra month of training to learn Special Forces management and command structure. Founding Myth This scene is often told to new Tinkerbelle members and anyone who would listen to an assaulter’s drunken banter: After a particularly disastrous op where a naval frigate detachment and a SUD Black Ops unit failed to properly communicate and coordinate their tactics and operational objectives Grand Amiral Afanasyev had had enough. Afanasyev had long had a problem with getting his ships and the SUD teams to work together, but this failure had cost him two frigates... because the SUD team had assumed the frigates could deal with a defense emplacement that the frigates would have found hard to find. Afanasyev then supposedly filed a formal complaint to the President. The Morevena would then preside over a meeting between Afanasyev and the then SUD Leader. Supposedly the meeting started with Afanasyev demanding that the Navy be granted the right of a Special Forces unit which "Understood the Navy way and did not make dangerous assumptions." Reportedly the then SUD Leader scoffed at the demand and replied. "The Navy will have their own special forces unit when they learn how to use their scanners and if they call themselves Tinkerbelles." Tinkerbelles would tell you that the SUD leader then chuckled haughtily at himself. Afanasyev paused then for a moment as if considering something, then simply said. "Deal." This took the the SUD Leader aback. "Deal to what?" Afanasyev elaborated with aly smile. "Deal to the Tinkerbelles, we'll name them that if that is your condition." The SUD Leader supposedly assumed a expression of disbelief and turned to Mr. Morevna. "I was joking you know that right? Them having a force like that is a violation of the separation of responsibilities." Mr. Morevna reportedly grimaced in fake empathy for the SUD Leader. "After that failure I'm at least inclined to day the Navy deserves a trial run, and you sounded serious enough to me." Ever since the name Tinkerbelle is worn as a badge of honour and defiance to any SUD member who would are there to see and listen. No one in the navy dares make fun of the name, as several violent incidents are told to happen when the name is even implied to be ridiculous in the presence of an operative. Tinkerbelle marine platoons tend to identify strongly with their main divisions and see the other Tinkerbelle platoons as rivals in much the same way that their larger divisions do. They each have a colloquial name to identify them, these usually make reference to some sort of fey creature, and if they can reference the main division name as well, all the better. An example of such an appropriate name is the 9th Orbital Marines Division’s “Blink Dogs” platoon, after the mythical hounds of the Fey court while also referencing the Division’s nickname, “Dimi’s Dogs”. Named Platoons Puck Platoon, attached to the 3rd Orbital Marines Division “Volos’ Fist” Samodiva Platoon, attached to the 5th Orbital Marines Division “Mùspell's Heirs” Blink Dogs Platoon, attached to the 9th Orbital Marines Division “Dimi’s Dogs” Navi Platoon, attached to the 11th Orbital Marines Division “The Lost” Category:The Deathless